In some computing systems, access to a system resource is shared by multiple devices. For example, a system bus is an example of a shared resource that is utilized by multiple different devices or components of a computing system. In some computing systems, the shared resource can be utilized by only one of the competing devices at any given time. Therefore, some scheme must be employed to grant authority to use the shared resource when multiple simultaneous requests occur. In modern computing systems, it is a typical design requirement not to allow one particular device at a time to dominate a shared resource.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.